History
Fred was a common sardine living in the ocean near Norway. After Iron Man intercepted a radioactive meteorite and shattered it, a stray fragment landed in the sea. Although normally deadly, the meteorite could also grant powers. This sardine became irradiated by the fragment, mutating its body, enhancing its intellect, and giving it telepathic powers.
When Iron Man sunk unconscious into the ocean after destroying the meteorite, Fred almost ate him, unaware that he was alive. Stark woke up, and Fred managed to establish telepathic contact with him. Iron Man warned Fred about the radioactive meteorite fragment and, knowing where it was, Fred offered to take him there. After crossing paths with a fleeing school of sardines, Fred and Iron Man encountered a whale on whose back the meteorite fragment was lodged.
The whale, empowered by the fragment, sent out a telepathic beam to call forth all sardines in its vicinity to eat them. Fred's body obeyed the command against its will, and it surrendered itself to the fact that the strong feast on the weak, as such is the law of nature. In response, Iron Man delivered a powerful punch which knocked back the whale, and bluffed long enough to convince it to turn away. Iron Man collapsed, and Fred picked him up. It brought him to the ocean floor, where Iron Man imparted to it his defiance to nature for survival. As Iron Man's armor ran out of battery, he lost consciousness. Assuming that this was the end for him, Fred swam away.[1]Attributes
Powers
Superpiscine Intellect: Fred appears to possess an intellect comparable to that of a human being, although it is still somewhat dull-witted.[1]
Superpiscine Physiology: Being originally an ordinary sardine, Fred was mutated by the metorite fragment. Its mutated size is comparable to that of a whale shark.[1]
Telepathy: Fred possesses the ability to communicate with other creatures by thought alone. It can pick out what others are thinking out, and it can make others understand it by this means.[1]
Bioluminescence: Fred can make its fin and the stripes on its back glow green. It calls it to "speak fluorescence."[1]Notes
- Although this character is named "Fred" in the sense that it refers to sardines in general as "Freds,"[1] I Am Iron Man writer Murewa Ayodele has singled him out by dubbing him "Fred the Psychic Fish."[2]
Trivia
- According to Fred, sardines have very simple thoughts. They think only in "the five F's:" Flee, fight, frolic, feed, and fornicate (although it used a different synonym starting with F for the latter).[1]
See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 I Am Iron Man #2
- ↑ Ayodele, Murewa (July 28, 2023) Murewa Ayodele on X: "FRED the PSYCHIC FISH is peak. ❤️❤️❤️ ... X. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Originally retrieved on April 19, 2024.